According to the Boston Globe, "people with direct knowledge of his decision" say he will announce his run soon after Kerry is confirmed as secretary of State, a timeline he has previously said he had hoped to follow. Kerry is expected to be easily confirmed in the coming days.

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His decision comes even as Markey has racked up numerous big-name endorsements from prominent Massachusetts and national Democrats, notably Kerry himself and the National Democratic Senatorial Committee.

The Globe reports that a poll conducted by the National Association of Government Employees helped convince Lynch he should run, as it showed the likely Republican contender, former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), posting a 9-percentage-point lead on Lynch, a slightly better showing than Markey, who lagged Brown by 10 percent in the same poll.